Show and Tell, Round Three

“Okay. Okay,” Emily said, running both hands through her hair again. “What the actual fuck is even going on?”

Sitting in the dusk of the hotel parking lot, Emily was sharing a curb with her new comrade-in-Brian’s-affection, Stephanie. To her, the pair felt small, their tiny shoulders huddled together against the incomprehensible twists and turns of this weekend. Her fluffy pink-haired companion was quiet in a reserved, pensive way, content to listen to her rambling, and Emily found she really appreciated that the girl was just letting her vent.

“Like, I’m not complaining,” Emily complained. “It went better than—well, it went. Things are going somewhere. That’s something. Not how I pictured things going, but, uh. He likes me. So, what the fuck does anything else even matter, right?

“The thing with you and Kelly is weird,” she continued, shrugging. “I don’t know how I feel. Okay, so I’m fucking terrified of Kelly. She scares the shit out of me, and I’m not gonna be shy about sayin’ so. You, though? I don’t know. But, it’s like I’m not even really jealous. When I think about all the other ways things coulda gone without you girls here for him… well, I woulda fuckin’ botched it all up. Always do. This weekend, this whole fucking Chloe thing... Brian needed you. You’re all fucking perfect together, so it’s not like I’m jealous, but more like I’m… afraid? It’s like, well shit—where do I even fit in, then? Fuck, sorry. I’m babbling, huh.”

“Preparation,” Stephanie muttered quietly.

“What?” Emily blinked. “Preparation? Preparation for what?”

“You prepared Brian for all of this,” Stephanie said, turning to give Emily a serious look.

“I… what?” Emily managed. What is she talking about?

There was something different about Stephanie that Emily couldn’t quite put her finger on—a subtle change from the way she remembered the shy girl earlier in the day. There was something more, something extra to her, now. Her already admittedly cute features possessed this additional wow factor that Emily had trouble pinpointing.

“Brian quoted this saying the day we met—‘luck is when preparation meets opportunity,’” Stephanie revealed. “He didn’t want to consider himself lucky, he wanted to attribute his fortune to... you, for preparing him to come to the convention in the right mindset, and then me, for giving him an opportunity. Or, um, becoming an opportunity, maybe?”

“...Oh,” Emily replied lamely, feeling her heart fall. “So, I’m basically out of the picture, now? That’s kind of…”

“I don’t mean that you’re not part of this anymore,” Stephanie assured her. The girl looked like she was still deep in thought. “You’re something like… a foundation to him. There’s more to him than I’d seen before, when you’re here with him. He’s able to completely be himself, when you’re around.”

I guess for now I live when I’m with you guys at school, Emily remembered Brian’s words as if he’d just spoken them yesterday, like they were still lingering in the air. When I’m with my friends, you know. People I can trust. Like, when I’m around you, Emily—I don’t ever have to worry about appearances, or what I’m SUPPOSED to be; I can just be myself. Or at least, free to figure out what that is, you know? THAT’S where I live.

“Okay. Okay, yeah!” Emily felt herself cheering up already. “I like that, yeah. I can live with that. You’re really cool with havin’ me around and a part of this, then?”

Stephanie smiled and silently offered her hand.

Emily took without a second thought, feeling a strange pink warmth, an intangible glow that seemed to calm her troubled waters. They were practically strangers, yet there was something surreal in how comforting this was, just sitting side-by-side on a curb and holding hands with this girl. She didn’t know Stephanie at all, and Stephanie didn’t know her—but, it was like there was an unfathomably direct mutual understanding joining them together all the same.

“We’re connected now. Somehow,” Stephanie mumbled in a small voice. Startled, Emily was just about to remark how she’d been thinking the exact same thing, when Stephanie continued.

“The colors that appear in our hair when we kiss Brian,” Stephanie began. “Pink, red—and now, blue. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I feel like it has something to do with the harem cha—”

“Oh, that’s them,” Emily blurted.

Stephanie’s epiphany was interrupted by the lumbering arrival of Rebecca’s familiar hatchback station wagon, slowly turning into the entrance of the hotel’s parking lot and then crawling up in front of them at a sedate pace. Rebecca gave them a sleepy smile, while Chloe regarded them impassively from where she was belted into the passenger’s seat, her expression hidden behind a pair of oversized sunglasses.

“Jus’... one sec,” Emily told Stephanie. She pushed up onto her feet, crossing over to her friend’s car and pulling open the nearest rear door so that she could lean inside. A too-quiet sense of stifling tension had already filled the vehicle’s interior as she ducked her head in, and Emily pursed her lips in a frown.

“...Are you done losing your shit, Chloe?” Emily asked, an edge evident in her voice. She still felt riled up, at odds with this suppressed, forced calm within the idling car. “You elbowed me in the fucking face back there, you know?”

“Whoopsie,” Chloe remarked in a dry voice, not bothering to turn in her seat to face her. “My bad.”

“You have anything to fucking say for yourself? After all that?” Emily demanded. “I mean, what the fuck. You realize you fucking—”

“Emily, you’re using all the bad words language!” Rebecca weakly attempted to mediate the situation. “We’re all calmed down now, and everything’s just fine! Do you see your bag?”

“...Yeah,” Emily said gruffly, trying not to be cross at her friend. She knew why Rebecca was trying to look after Chloe—knew that Rebecca was the mothering figure of their group, the mature one who would always step back and make sure everyone was still taken care of. It still rankled, though, still felt like a betrayal, and Emily hated the way this situation was making her feel. Don’t fucking look out for her, Rebecca. She’s not our friend.

“We, uh, we have a place for you to stay, though,” Emily said.

“We’re not staying with Brian,” Chloe stated with conviction. A certain incredulous, even indignant undertone was apparent in her voice, an unspoken how dare you for having the gall to propose something so affronting and offensive. Emily didn’t miss the fact that Chloe seemed to be tacitly deciding Rebecca’s itinerary on the other girl’s behalf.

“Um, well I don’t think that we can—” Rebecca began patiently.

“No—no, not with us,” Emily explained, turning and gesturing Stephanie forward. “Stephie had a room, the room she was in before. She’s staying with Brian, now.”

“Stephie?” Chloe echoed coldly.

Chloe’s tone settled uncomfortably into the pit of Emily’s stomach like a chunk of ice, but she was already shrinking back from the car door so that Stephanie could lean in and address Rebecca.

“Um. Hi again,” Stephanie meekly spoke up. “I was staying with a friend at the Sherriott. It’s just a few blocks from here—I don’t think she’d mind having company at all if you need a place to stay. There should be a bed free.”

“Oh! That’s great,” Rebecca perked up. “Thank you so much! That would work out really well. Do either of you need us to pitch in, to cover part of the room?”

“No, no,” Stephanie shook her head, fluffy pink tresses swaying back and forth. “It’s all already paid for, and I still have my key. It’s just…” There was an uneasy pause.

“Just what?” Chloe asked. Brian’s ex-girlfriend still hadn’t deigned to turn her head, but it seemed like the unreadable expression hidden behind those shades was directing a glare at them through the rear-view mirror.

“Um,” Stephanie seemed to hesitate, looking distressed. “You’ll both... see when we get there.”

What, is her friend a maniac, or something? Emily wondered. The brief jaunt at the convention this weekend had already been so full of surprises that it felt like anything could happen, at this point. Wait, was the friend a girl or a guy? I think she said ‘she.’ Right?

“Okay,” Rebecca agreed with a chipper smile. “Hop on in. I can get out of here through this turn-around, and then—do I go right, or do I go left?”

“Did you call ahead and ask your friend?” Rebecca asked as she gingerly eased into the parking lot of the Sherriott. Although it was only a few short blocks away, it had been a tense drive for her—and not only because city traffic moved uncomfortably fast and the other drivers seemed rude and impatient. Emily and Stephanie were both situated on the back seat, and Chloe was stewing up front in the passenger’s seat. None of the girls seemed to be on speaking terms.

“I... can’t,” Stephanie answered with an apologetic tone. “Her phone’s dead, I have no way of getting in touch with her until I can lend her this charger.”

“Ahh,” Rebecca nodded. “You’re sure she won’t mind? We don’t want to impose at all…”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Stephanie said. Under her breath, in a voice she likely thought no one would over hear, she continued with a “...Probably?”

Stretching her lips into a quiet wince, Rebecca suppressed a chuckle as she carefully steered into a parking space. She really appreciated the gesture on Stephanie’s part, because she didn’t know where she was going to find a place for Chloe to stay—not without driving twenty minutes out of town to hunt for a Super Six Motel somewhere. 

Originally, she’d anticipated things would go well between Brian and Emily; Rebecca had never planned on actually rooming with them. Besides her blankets and furs, her entire norse tent was always in the back of her hatchback with the rest of her kit. A collapsible tent; the central pole and A-frame alike were dark, lacquered pine that slotted together, featuring carved horse figureheads—nightmares—by SCE artisan Jira Silverlock. Hauling the whole thing up into the atrium and setting up camp there for the night would have been fine... if not for now needing to accommodate Chloe.

Poor Chloe, Rebecca sighed. The sudden outburst of screaming and swearing had been startling... but understandable, considering the scene they’d happened in on. Rebecca hadn’t been fazed in the slightest when Chloe slapped her afterwards—her friend had been lashing out like a frightened cat, and blows that weak would barely even register on a battlefield anyways. Still painfully entangled in her recent relationship with Brian, Chloe was going to be feeling lost, hurt, and confused. Even worse, she would feel all the more isolated in these circumstances, because Emily was at loggerheads with her over the issue, as well! 

“Are... we all going in?” Rebecca asked, putting the sleepy grumble of the engine to rest with a twist of her wrist at the ignition. The sound of opening car doors and nothing else answered her, because no one was talking—why is no one talking,—raising the awkward severity of the pointed silence between the two parties to new levels. Is it okay etiquette for Stephanie to just bring three strange girls to barge in on her room?

“Well, okiedokie!” She sighed to herself again and followed the girls through the darkened parking lot and into the building. The subtle standoff between the pair of Emily and Stephanie and the lonesome Chloe continued on through the reception area as they waited—warily eyeing each other—for an elevator to descend. When it finally did, and the door slid open with a hollow ding, the girls all froze, waiting to see who would enter first.

“You guuuys!” Rebecca called out in exasperation, wrapping her arms around her friends and forcibly shoving them together into the elevator. Once within, they of course immediately separated like oil and water, uneasily claiming separate sides of the enclosed space.

You’re all being so silly, Rebecca smiled, stepping in after to stand between them.

“Fifth floor, please,” Stephanie mumbled.

Still making a sour face, Emily stabbed a finger at the five button and then repeatedly jabbed the close doors button as if she were a horror movie damsel desperately trying to make an escape.

“Did… everyone have a good time at the convention?” Rebecca tried lamely as the doors finally closed. Now, everyone was trapped in here together, and they had to get along!

“Yes,” Stephanie answered in a soft voice. “It was… quite the day.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Chloe snarled, crossing her arms. “You think you’re fucking funny?”

“Chloe!” Rebecca admonished. “Be nice! She’s helping us get a room. She didn’t mean anything by it.”

Emily let out a provoking snort and rolled her eyes.

“Everyone, be good!” Rebecca chided them in a cutesy voice, shaking her head in dismay. “My goodness.”

When they reached the fifth floor, Rebecca gestured Stephanie and Emily forward to guide them to the room, for the moment preventing any more infighting. Stephanie was in room 502, just past the building’s stairwell and a small room containing a large ice dispenser and several vending machines, and they trooped over together and waited as Stephanie produced a keycard from the pocket of her faded overalls.

“Um,” Stephanie hesitated, looking as if she wanted to say something. Instead, she covered the lower half of her face with her hand and then slid the key into the lock, which obediently disengaged with a loud clack, and the flicker of a green diode. The pink-haired girl awkwardly pushed the door open with that same hand… and foul-smelling air rolled out over them, filling the corridor with the sour fragrance of body odor.

“Oh my fucking—oh my God,” Chloe doubled over and dry-heaved towards her shoes.

Emily let out an inappropriate giggle, now pulling one of the front flaps of her yukata up over her face.

“...Goodness,” Rebecca commented in a dry voice. It was bad, certainly, but not that bad. Perhaps on the level of a three-day summer campout, but without bonfire smoke neutralizing some of the smell. Definitely nowhere near the experience of changing some of the elderly residents out of soiled undergarments, and Rebecca did that often enough.

“Megan? I brought some… friends,” Stephanie called weakly. “Are you decent?”

“You think you’re fucking funny?!” Chloe sputtered.

“Emily dearest,” Rebecca got her friend’s attention with a firm hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Could you please head back down to the car for me? There should be a big pack of cone-shaped solid air fresheners packed in beside my tent, in the back. Grab however many I still have left.”

“On it, boss,” Emily responded with a mock salute, quickly scrambling back down the hallway towards the elevator.

“We’re not. No fucking way, Rebecca,” Chloe warned her. “If you think that she’s really—”

“Please hold,” Rebecca said with forced cheer, turning to follow Stephanie into the hotel room where Chloe didn’t dare to tread.

Oh, my. Inside, the rank smell of sweat intensified, a sharp odor, not unlike someone cutting into an onion. Rebecca blinked rapidly to keep her eyes from watering. No wonder Stephie chose to room over there with Brian, instead...

“Stephanie!” A heavyset girl clad in an enormous shirt and pajama bottoms was engulfing Stephanie in a fierce hug. “Ohmigod, your hair! You got your hair done up all pink, it looks amazing! Did you get it done at the convention? Can I get mine done?!”

“Um. Um,” Stephanie sputtered. “Yes, I… yes I did. And, I can ask tomorrow, maybe, but…”

“Oh! Hi!” Megan turned to register Rebecca’s presence. “Steph, you made friends?!”

“This is Rebecca—she saved my life,” Stephanie gasped, finally forcing her way free of Megan’s embrace so that she could quickly clamp a hand over her face again. “I—um, staying with that guy, and I kind of took their spot in the room? Would it be okay with you if, if they stayed here tonight instead of me?”

“Yeah, sure! Awesome!” Megan let out a giddy laugh. “It’ll be like, you know—that Swapping Spouses TV show—but for anime conventions, where it’s all cool. Swapping Geeks? Otaku Swap? And, she’s even this awesome viking chick—you look so cool! Are you from Skygrim?”

“Hiii Megan!” Rebecca waved. “Are you really sure you’re okay with two of us staying here? We have one more out in the hallway, she’s… shy.”

“Yeah, o’course,” Megan smiled. “I throw my stuff everywhere, lawl, but it’s not like I can actually use both of the beds at once, y’know?”

“Well okay great!” Rebecca said, stepping over to take Megan by the arm. “Because—I really need your help with something. I was hoping you could help me take a real thorough bath, y’know?”

“Uh—what?” Megan gave her a stunned look. “I, um, I’ve never done anything with a girl before, I—”

“Not like that, silly!” Rebecca tried not to sound strained. She had plenty of leeway when she was called upon to help bathe some of their more recalcitrant residents, because of the community hygiene guidelines at Shady Oaks. Here, if she didn’t manage to beguile this girl into taking a bath, they didn’t have any real grounds to object to Megan’s… deficient self-care.

“Chloe!” With as gentle a hand as she could manage, Rebecca firmly guided the large girl towards the bathroom. Unlike Brian’s room, it was just to the left of the door when first entering into the room. “Chloe honey, come say hi to Megan!”

Chloe peered around the edge of the doorframe, looking furious.

“Uh, hi?” Megan blinked. “...Is she okay?”

“Megan, I brought my charger,” Stephanie called over. “I’m plugging in your phone.”

“She just doesn’t like the smell,” Rebecca explained, forcing Megan into the bathroom. The girl was resisting, obviously uncomfortable with the entire sudden situation, and it made Rebecca’s heart ache. Prince Charming always got so fussy when he needed a bath, too.

“Oh, thanks Steph!” Megan yelled. “I, uh—wow, you’re strong—I’m fine, I took a long shower just before we left for the con, so I don’t really need to—”

“I really can’t do this by myself, though,” Rebecca admitted. “Can you help me? I don’t want either of us to be stinky, I want everyone to be fresh and clean for tomorrow. Please?”

“Uh, yeah. I mean, sure, it’s—” Megan swallowed.

“Great!” Rebecca said, pushing the other girl the rest of the way into the bright light of the bathroom and closing the door behind them.

FortySixtyFou